"Touji... Do you like yer name?"
Rider's sudden question felt like a blade in my gut. Her words carried more than insight into our fight, it held a tinge of sadness behind it, almost grief. Laying down Arisu's sword between us, she grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes.
"Tell the truth, did you want to hurt her?"
"Every time I tried to talk, she attacked... and I thought she was going to kill me"
Regret was all I conveyed through my trembling voice.
Noticing my anxiety, the High-drake bent down and took a knee. Her hair had lost its rigidity in the rain and all of a sudden, she didn't seem so unreachable and powerful. It was another reminder that no matter somebody's disposition, appearance alone isn't a reflection of their heart.
"That's enough. You ain't to blame for defending yerself, got it? Lackin' restraint is yer biggest weakness, but hesitation WILL get you killed. Balance is everythin', never forget that. Make me a promise, no matter what, you keep movin' forward, never stop. Understand?"
"...Yeah"
"Promise me. No matter what, you WILL get up and you WILL keep goin'. Accidents happen, as long as you live, there's a chance to help. When someone dies, that's it, so don't you dare give up until that very moment. Now, give me yer pinky"
She let go of me and offered her little finger whilst remaining serious despite how childish the gesture seemed. The absurdity would end up being exactly why she did it, as I could never forget her sincerity in this moment.
This was a promise I needed to keep.
My finger felt so small compared to hers, barely wrapping around half of her dragon-esk pinky. It was the perfect reminder of how small I truly was in this world, even if her next words would serve as more than encouragement.
With a single nod, the promise was carved into my memory.
"I think you've grown an inch since this mornin', hairs almost completely black too. I'd say things are about to get real interestin', are you ready for it?"
"Y-yeah"
"Oi, nuff of that stutterin'. Hold yer head high and speak like you mean it. Imma need you to stand tall, cause best case is we buy some time. Ru's gonna make her artificial organs with alchemy, and we've gotta kick start that heart. After that, yer gonna go on a little trip"
"Just me?"
"Not just you idiot"
Rider rose to her feet, flicking me in the forehead for good measure as my own assumption had held me back.
"Ow!"
"You ain't alone, not with her around"
Rider pushed me through the rain and back towards Sleipnir's Sacrifice, where a concerned Oni and fidgety four-armed woman waited along the wooden porch.
"Should be able to tell by er' name alone that Merrah ain't truly one of us. If she was she'd of had to give up er' name. Kinda like becomin' a soldier, it changes who ya are. Go in a kid, come out a man. So step one for us is simple, turn Merrah into Judgement"
"How does that save Arisu?"
"HELP, not save. It's step one. Like magic needs a catalyst, true alchemy needs somthin' special, an Ovum Stone or whatever it's called nowadays. Problem is that's something countries war over"
Ru knows alchemy? Huh
"Well, we'll just make one instead. Anyway, that'll be step two and stuff. Fer now, you need to change. I'll get Leaf to grab yer stuff on her way back. These two will help me dig up some old supplies"
"Should Marge really help us?"
"Marge? Huh, that's not er' name, at least not yet. You can trust her though, she's also how I knew one of them six Fate's decided to fuck around. She's a Motte, they weave their silk for a livin', worship Fate's too"
Arriving back to the side steps of the Horsemen's base of operations, Marge immediately grabbed my left hand with skepticism.
She had changed out of her tatter black robes and into a far more questionable outfit, unsuited for any sort of battle.
A short gray skirt with a zig zag folded fabric allowing for more flexibility, normally worn by girls attending high school at sixteen. Marge wore it just high enough to show her snow white skin above the chitin covering her thighs and legs connecting to her monster-like foot.
Her shirt was no better as it fluttered loosely in the wind, failing to cover her navel. Clothing chosen for their appeal, rather than protection or utility. Enda would probably hate it if she hadn't found a middleground herself.
"Verdandi chose you to bear a message, but did not sear your skin?"
"Positive it's er'?"
"Yes, I watched the shadow of a feather fall from the heavens into his hand"
"*Tsk* Knew this crap would happen some day. Touji, Ota, ya'll know a few spells already. Pretty sure you both recall what Vortex can do when controlled. This is a basic spell, Firecrack, I suggest learnin' it"
The First Horsemen pointed towards the sky, with her thumb and middle finger pressed tightly against each other, ready to click.
"This is the spell that kicked off a war against the Gods. Only fittin' to use it here"
She snapped her fingers together and an enormous trail of purple lighting shot from her fingers to the sky above. A small flash of red rocketed out of the clouds towards the Nala Mountain range.
Seconds later an explosion of enormous size parted the sky. Golden rays of light shone on Dragons Mort.
Conquest had picked a fight against the Fates.
"That a good idea?"
"All Fates are cowards, controlling people from afar and influencing an outcome purely for entertainment. The only thing they care about is maintaining their power and using it"
Ota could no longer remain silent. She felt pensive about what was happening, and yet refused to not get involved. This was her way after all, even if she didn't understand anything, her actions reflected the feelings in her heart.
"Aren't you supposed to lick their boots?"
"They made my thread what it is, now they'll reap what they sow. Most Motte pray to them for a happy life and quality silk, a future like that isn't possible for me, never has. I expect you to know the feeling, child of the Shattered Axe clan"
"I thought everyone would of forgotten that name by now"
"Many of those Oni were my friends. Do you know who cut the chains holding up your home?"
"No, never really thought about it"
"Lord Otamaru's killer was never caught. That's what drew me back here. I'm glad his legacy continues on in his granddaughter. He would be proud of how far you've come"
"Thank you..."
Ota was always a bombastic Oni, this was the first time I had seen her blush not out of embarrassment, but joy. Scratching the back of her head, she couldn't make heads or tails about this mysterious stranger.
"Alright, gonna stop this ere' cause we're on a tight schedule. 'Marge', go grab Leaf. And you two, well first yer having a shower cause y'all stink, we'll talk after that. Downstairs to the right, flip the table upright and a door thing will open. Stuff's in there"
"Hard to imagine this bar has so much stuff"
"Tavern now but ah get it. Buncha rooms, chambers, that sort of thing under here, jus' gotta hit the right switch. Uh, don't go lookin' for other rooms though, some of em' are traps"
"Hey uh, are the showers separated"
"Nope, they were trainin' killers here, that meant trainin' to control themselves. Just face away or somethin', no messin' around. Tell er' what happened, she should know"
"..."
* *** *
Ota and I washed ourselves off from a long day of fighting with little fanfare.
It felt inappropriate to bring up her curse or our promise, so instead I told her everything else.
About my grandfather, my family, my fight with Arisu.
She listened to all of it, not making a single joke or snide remark, she didn't even try to tease me like she'd done dozens of times before. Instead, the only question asked is if I was okay with any of it.
My answer was no.
I wish I had her ability to show restraint.
At least I kept details about the other Elder Dragons secret, even if it hurt to do so.
I trust Ota, but some things I have to deal with by myself, I can only hope she understands.
* *** *
Ten minutes had passed since we had washed up and re-equipped ourselves. It was almost time to leave.
Maps of the terrain and their plan had been explained to both Ota and I. Their entire idea seemed insane. And yet they remained confident that if Merrah and Red were present, it would be an easy fight.
Four vs over four thousand seemed like I had signed my life away.
Nobody can be that strong right?
We gathered right outside the back of the lively tavern, where a makeshift Perch had been constructed in order to carry all of us, along with supplies needed for the upcoming battle to Broken Blade Fort. From there we would travel by boat and arrive before sundown.
"How's the stuff?"
Rider had put together an entire new suit of armor for me, including upgrading my duster coat to be adorned with a layer of mail between its inner layers and interlocking plate pauldrons connected to an exoskeleton vambrace.
Somehow she managed to do it without causing it to weigh me down whilst also allowing full flexibility for my arms if I needed to reach up for whatever reason. Enda had also sown in several enchantments to augment it for further mobility.
All in all an impressive piece to complement another layer of mixed plate and leather protection covering the rest of my body. Standard solid greaves attached to hardened boots lined with more leet.
It felt like I was going to war, making me both nervous and strangely confident in the process. Although, I couldn't help but feel like the shoes were a bit tight.
A layer of brigandine covered my thighs as a gambeson skirt protruded from underneath my angled breastplate with a built in neck protector.
Leet only protected the areas my coat could not reach, primarily, my chest and abdomen, all fitted in place with a mix of monster chitin and leather in the shape of layered diagonal strips.
"Um, I think I need bigger boots"
"Fucken hell, a 'wow this is great, thanks Rider' would of been nice"
Raising my arms to my side, I twisted to check the limits of motions I could take in front of Ota, Marge and the first horsemen. It was nearly perfect and it even came with a belt lined with plenty of pouches around my waist.
"Have to grab some gauntlets that fit ya at the Fort, didn't really have time to put those together. Same goes with you Ota. I'm sure Dare won't mind lettin' us borrow one of his fancy pointy sticks"
"We don't know what will happen out there and my threads are best suited for disabling, not killing, so both of you need to be prepared. Soldiers don't march to battle not expecting to draw blood and to them you'll be another target"
"Yerp. Anyway, we'll talk more on the boat, besides, someone's got their farewells ready"
Rider pointed out towards the city, where Hawke had been waiting for approval to approach. Given the go-ahead by Rider, she walked towards us clutching some sort of pendant in her single visible arm protruding from inside her typical brown cloak.
"Is she okay?!"
Words escaped my mouth a little louder than I expected as one of Enda's copies reached us.
"Ru has almost finished creating what we need. Enda will start operating after that. I had hoped to reach you in time to give you this"
"What is it?"
Hawke reached out to hand me a small black stone held in a silver casing connected to a necklace. On one side it had the number '13' scratched into it, on the other, 'Hawke'.
As her brown cloak blew in the wind, I noticed her prosthetic was carrying a large black box, almost like a suitcase, to which she loaded onto the Perch.
"The first track has a part that will resonate with her soul. You should hide the Rebs in his fog, and make sure it covers the battlefield"
"Nother song from er' world?"
"I was able to recreate a wind up gramophone and vinyl. This is the prototype and I've left a better version with notes back in the lab for you. It has a few kinks, but it'll do the job. If you get the chance..."
"*sigh* Good grief. Yeah I'll finish yer stuff. Kinda funny how everythin' worked out"
What's going on?
"Touji, hold onto that Lich stone will you? Superstition says it holds the dreams of others if you can believe it. If anything, maybe it'll bring you luck"
"I don't understand, what are you saying?"
Hawke turned towards the city, using her makeshift limb made of magical engineering to shelter her eyes from the sun.
"Best get ready, she's on her way"
"Hawke?"
"This was our choice to make, as much as hers. If you can, try treat them both well"
She gently ushered each of us onto the wooden platform that would soon be lifted by Dragon and made sure we wouldn't fall off.
"Enda doesn't use blood magic as it cuts off all her mana, and cancels all her spells. Ota, if you sense any stones like the one I gave to him, please, pick them up if you get the chance"
"I... will"
"Hawke...?"
"Touji, promise me when you grow up, you'll become the type of man that others look up to"
Hawke closed her eyes and smiled at me.
I reached out my hand but it was too late.
She crumbled to ash right before my eyes as I yelled her name.